The ABC's of Growing Up
by Literature Rogue
Summary: DRABBLECHALLENGE. The evolution of George and Izzie as told by short drabbles focusing on important and not so important points in their relationship. O'Stevens.
1. A is for Apology

**Rogue Note: **Summer is a bad time for me. I get bored, I get lazy, and I neglect responsibilities. Like writing. I mean, I love writing, but I just didn't _feel_ like it lately. And then I got hit in the head with a fanfiction brick, went to write one, and realized that I'd gotten rusty. So you all get another Drabble Challenge from me.

This one's slightly different, as **Predictable **was set to me by someone else. This challenge is for me, and I'm trying to test myself a bit. The title has some significance here, as each update will contain five 100-word drabbles starting with a letter of the alphabet. I'm starting with 'A' and then 'B' and so on. Yes, I realize I'm slightly insane for taking this on. But, hey, the challenge makes it exciting to me. So we'll see how this turns out.

Oh, by the way, the subject of choice is O'Stevens again, because I'm suffering withdrawal and felt compelled to write them again.

**Disclaimer:** Well, if _I_ owned Grey's Anatomy, don't you think the George/Izzie situation would've been resolved by now?

* * *

**001: Appetite**

_Continuity: Anytime_

Peering at Izzie from over the large bowl of salad in the middle of the table, George couldn't help but stare. His spoon was held a foot away from his mouth, mashed potatoes dripping onto the tablecloth. "You've surpassed seconds. You're on thirds. You're still hungry?"

Izzie barely looked up from ladling food onto her plate. "I haven't eaten all day, I've been on-call for two days, so yes, I'm starving. So I'm eating."

George blinked. "And yet somehow you still manage to look like a super-model." He gave a strained laugh.

Izzie grinned. "I'll take that as a compliment."

* * *

**002: Anxious**

_Continuity: _After_ 'Time After Time'_

She was pacing. The strip of hallway in front of room 203 could have been worn with her footprints. Izzie paused at the slightest sound, as if expecting him to appear out of thin air. Every time George didn't reappear, Izzie's emotions shifted from disappointment to relief and then back to anxiety again.

She slid down the wall in front of the patient's room, head in her hands. And then, just when she slipped into a light sleep, Izzie felt herself being shaken awake.

Her vision swam for a moment and then George came into view. "She's fine. Hannah's fine."

* * *

**003: Answers**

_Continuity: Before 'Testing 1-2-3'_

"It's _my_ turn, George." His gaze shifted to Izzie sprawled out on the living room floor amid piles of textbooks, notes, and empty coffee mugs.

"Name four problems associated with Tetralogy of Fallot."

"Ventricular septal defect, pulmonary obstruction, overriding aorta and..."

"Time! My turn."

"What was the last answer?"

"Doesn't matter. My turn."

"_Tell me the answer_!" George opened his mouth to respond when the book was wenched from his grip. "Enlarged right ventricle. Your turn."

Izzie flipped through the textbook. "George?" He fell silent, contemplating how she'd ended up in his lap. "You okay?"

The answer? "Yeah. Quiz me."

* * *

**004: Acceptance**

_Continuity:_ After _'Didn't We Almost Have It All?'_

_But in my heart, I am sure, I'm in love with you George._

Right about now, that seemed like the stupidest thing she could've done in that situation. No, the worst thing she could've done was fall in love with her married best friend, sleep with him, and expect him to love her back, not necessarily in that order.

The stupidest thing she could've done? Izzie could've asked George to meet her at the church, and waited there for him for three hours after the not wedding.

She waited. He didn't come. And she'd just have to deal with it.

* * *

**005: Apology**

_Continuity:_ After _'Didn't We Almost Have It All?'_

This scene seemed very familiar. Here she was, wearing a dress, sitting on the bathroom floor, and feeling like she'd lost someone she loved dearly. Izzie blinked, staring around at the tiles as if they'd told George where she'd be. _Someone_ had to have told him, because his note was taped to the sink, glaring down at her.

_Iz,_

_I don't have the words to say to make this situation alright, but know I haven't forgotten about you. And know that I'm sorry. I really am._

_-George_

But maybe, it was just that George knew her better than anyone else.


	2. B is for Bed

**Rogue Note: **Forgot to mention this earlier, but if the title of the piece sounds familiar, it's probably because they're lyrics. Imogen's Heap's _Speeding Cars. _It sounds appropriate, doncha think?

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own Grey's Anatomy, no matter how many times I place my bid at Ebay.

* * *

**006: Baking**

_Continuity: Anytime_

"What are you _doing_?" George had shuffled into the kitchen at 3 a.m. to find the source of the roaring noise. He found Izzie attacking a bowl of batter with a mixer.

She nearly yelled over the mixer. "Baking."

George flopped onto a stool, staring at the concoction in the bowl. "What is it?"

"It's batter. For cookies." He watched her in silence for a long time, perking up when she placed the tray in the oven.

"When will they be done?"

"Fifteen minutes." She sighed as he pouted at her. "But you can lick the spoon."

"I like baking..."

* * *

**007: Bar**

_Continuity: _After_ 'Scars and Souvenirs' _

When she walks into Joe's after a thirty-six-hour shift, the other four are already there, huddled in their corner. The barstool to the right of George is unoccupied, and there's a glass placed on the bar in front of it. Izzie knows it's her seat, the weak drink George ordered.

"Apple martini," she mumbles dully, practically collapsing onto the stool, "Are you _ever_ going to let me order my own drinks?"

George shrugs. "Gotta start of easy. You know how you get when you're drunk..."

Izzie eyes him over her glass as she tips it back. "And so do you..."

* * *

**008: Bed**

_Continuity: Anytime_

"George?" He groans into the pillow, the familiar voice pulling him out of sleep. "You asleep?"

"Not anymore," he mumbles, and hears her footsteps as she slides under the covers next to him. Izzie relaxes next to him, his arms around him and her head resting on his shoulder.

It's not that he minds her sleeping in his bed every night. But one thought always occurs to him in these moments, with Izzie asleep beside him as he fades in and out of consciousness. Why does Izzie have a bed in her room anyway?

It seemed like such a waste.

* * *

**009: Benefits**

_Continuity:_ After _'A Hard Day's Night'_

"_My friends call me Izzie."_

Sitting on a bench opposite her after their first forty-eight-hour shift, George felt compelled to ask, just to make sure. "So we_ are_ friends?"

She glanced up from tying her shoelace, a playful sort of grin upon her face. "Well, I didn't call you 007 if that's what you mean." Izzie noticed the look of shock on his face. "Yes, George, we're friends. Wanna grab a drink?"

He perked up, nodding. There was a pause as her locker door slammed. "Friends with_ benefits_?"

Izzie sighed heavily, moving to ruffle his hair. "Don't push it, George."

* * *

**010: Best**

_Continuity:_ After _'Band Aid Covers the Bullet Hole'_

There was a loud knock at the door, and George rolled sideways off of the couch, moving to the door. Yanking the door open, he was only slightly surprised to see Izzie standing there in her pajamas, a box of chocolates in hand. "What are you doing?"

"I'm here because you looked broken, and you're not at home, and I thought you might need these." She silently held up the box of chocolate. "I picked out all the coconut ones, because I know you hate them."

George smiled, grabbing the chocolates and popping one into his mouth. "You're the best."


	3. C is for Chocolate

**Rogue Note: **This is getting along quite nicely so far, but in the not-so-distant future, I see some snags along the way. I've got a dictionary handy for when I reach such irritating letters as 'Q' or 'X', but feel free to put in a request for a one-word prompt for those letters -or any letter you like. I'd be happy to oblige.

**DISCLAIMER: **Grey's Anatomy belongs to Shonda. My name is not Shonda. Therefore, I do not own Grey's Anatomy.

* * *

**011: Calm**

_Continuity:_ After _'Six Days Part One'_

"Are you okay?" She asked for what seemed like the tenth time in the last half-hour. They side by side in the dark waiting room. George looked up to cast Izzie a sideways glance. "Because you look like you might be in shock."

"I'm fine. Calm, cool, and collected. That's George O'Malley for you." He was reading a magazine. Izzie was fidgeting, playing with her hands, messing with her hair just for something to do. Her fingers were tapping against the chair's arm. He placed one of his hands over hers. "Izzie, I'm fine."

"Well, that makes one of us."

* * *

**012: Check**

_Continuity:_ After _'What I Am'_

When he woke up in the morning, the first thing George did was make a beeline for the refrigerator to get orange juice, because Izzie was hogging the coffee maker. This time, instead of the grocery list falling when he opened the refrigerator, a check fell to the ground.

A check for eight million dollars.

George bent down, retrieved the check, and held it up to Izzie for explanation. Silence answered him. "There's eight million dollars on our refrigerator."

"Until further notice, eight million dollars is on our refrigerator." George responded by simply placing the check back on the refrigerator.

* * *

**013: Chocolate**

_Continuity:_ After _'Much Too Much'_

"Come on, Iz. You can do better than him anyway." George sat outside Izzie's bedroom door, a box of chocolates in his lap. The box was open, a few of the candies missing, for he had been out here for over an hour.

"He _cheated_ on me."

"I realize that, but sitting in your room isn't helping anybody." George paused, and when he spoke, his voice was muffled by a piece of chocolate. "Including yourself."

"George?" The door opened, and Izzie was leaning against the frame, staring at him. "Weren't those chocolates for me?"

"...I left you the coconut ones!"

* * *

**014: Circle**

_Continuity:_ After _'Desire'_

"Friendship like a circle," George told her one night when they were both on-call, and sitting down in the tunnels. "They never really have a distinct beginning, and they never really end."

Izzie had stared at him for a long moment after he'd said that, but George was too interested in his video game to notice the bemused expression on her face. Circles might never end, but it certainly felt like their relationship had become a sort of complex triangle.

George was the top point, and Izzie and Callie were at either end. And, eventually, all triangles have to end.

* * *

**015: Coffee**

_Continuity: Anytime_

Coffee was like life to a surgeon. It was the essential ingredient all doctors, interns and attendings alike, relied on to be on top of their game. It was Izzie and George's mission to find out which café in Seattle really did serve 'Seattle's Best' coffee. So far, their mission was failing miserably. They couldn't agree on anything.

They stood at the nurses' station, exchanging cups of coffee with mixed reactions. George sputtered. "Did you put sugar in this?"

"No." Izzie stared at him. "I drink my coffee black. Be a man, George."

"I still liked the Starbuck's cappuccino best..."


	4. D is for Distance

**Rogue Note: **This letter is slightly angsty for some reason. I don't know. Don't ask me why. I sat down to write, and this is what came out. The last one's lighter, at least. Anyway, enjoy.

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't even _legally_ own a car let alone a TV show.

* * *

**016: Dance**

_Continuity:_ After _'Losing My Religion'_

"Izzie, you have to take off the dress." It was George. It was always George, standing in her doorway, worrying over her. But Izzie was quite content with her grief, except for one thing.

"I never got to dance in it."

"What?"

"The dress. I was supposed to go to prom in this dress. I never even danced in it."

George hovered in the doorway for a moment before holding out his hand. "May I have this dance?" And she clung to him, and they danced without music. And he wasn't her prince charming, but at least George was _there_.

* * *

**017: Death**

_Continuity:_ After _'Six Days Part Two'_

"Please don't tell me 'he's in a better place now'. I've heard it about a million times today." Izzie collapsed onto the bench next to him, staring up at the hospital with a glazed over expression on her face.

"I'm the last person to tell you that," she murmured dully as she met his gaze. "You know all the drug addicts, and murders, and alcoholics we all manage to save?" George nodded slowly. Izzie had inhaled deeply. Her hand was resting over his. "Why does it seem like only the good people die?"

He had no answer to Izzie's question.

* * *

**018: Desire**

_Continuity:_ After _'Testing 1-2-3'_

Izzie watches him every chance she gets. When she passes him in the hallways, when he gets into the elevator. She knows she can't get into an elevator with him. Bad things tend to happen in the Seattle Grace elevators.

But she can't help looking up whenever she hears his voice, and then Izzie realizes that he's George and she's Izzie, and this has got to stop because he's_ married_.

So anytime she catches the scent of his cologne or hears his voice is like a little gift that hurts, because she knows she can never have the real thing.

* * *

**019: Distance**

_Continuity:_ After _'Testing 1-2-3'_

There's never been space between them before. It was always George and Izzie. But now, George can't even hear her name without having flashes of that night, of that one time in the elevator, of how real it all felt.

The distance is painful, because he's so used to having her around. He knows it's painful for her, too, because of the glances she shoots him from across the room. But George is a married man, and married men do not fall for their best friends, no matter how blonde or stacked they may be.

So, George keeps his distance.

* * *

**020: Dog**

_Continuity: Season Two_

"He's _your_ dog!" He yelled as he peeled into the bathroom. Izzie slammed the door behind him.

"He is _not_ my dog. I just went with Meredith to get him."

"You picked him out! You picked out a dog that _wants to mount me!"_

"Look, the dog doesn't like me either. He's _Meredith's_ dog."

"So we're united in trying to get the dog out of the house?"

"Yes. Let's go tell Meredith?' When George opened the door, he was knocked to the ground as Doc pounced on him. "Iz-_zie_! You_ knew_ he was out there...Help me get him off!"


	5. E is for Exposure

**Rogue Note: **Vowels are interesting letters. There are so many possibilities. It was hard to narrow it down to just five prompts, but I'm happy with it. Read on, friend.

**DISCLAIMER: **I had a dream that I owned Grey's Anatomy once. Unfortunately, I woke up.

* * *

**021: End**

_Continuity:_ After _'Didn't We Almost Have It All?'_

He couldn't go back to the hotel. Callie had been ranked number one after her intern exam. And he'd failed. He obviously couldn't go to Meredith's house. And besides, it was full with extra people anyway.

So here he was, sitting on a bench outside the hospital.

"George?" He closed his eyes at the familiarity of her voice, sighing as she sat on the bench next to him. "What are you doing?"

He turned to look at her, voice strained when he finally spoke. "This is it. It's over." Izzie's expression was one of confusion. "I failed the intern exam."

* * *

**022: Entrance**

_Continuity:_ After _'Didn't We Almost Have It All?'_

"Meredith retook her exam," Izzie pointed out as they headed the walkway toward the Chief's office. Izzie had the day off. George was supposed to be listening to Bailey's intern speech.

Somehow, Izzie had convinced him this was a good idea. "This is insane. I should just go back down there and-"

"You realize we probably had the hardest intern year this hospital's seen since Webber was an intern? Do you _really_ want all that to go to waste?"

George hovered awkwardly outside Webber's office. "Come in, O'Malley." And with a little push from Izzie, he was able to enter.

* * *

**023: Engagement**

_Continuity:_ After _'Some Kind of Miracle'_

"Can you believe Cristina's engaged?"

George chuckled, peering at Izzie over his glass. "I didn't have an engagement, really. It just sort of happened." Her expression had faded from amused to thoughtful. "Iz?"

"I was engaged. For one day. There wasn't a ring, but..."

"Hey, you okay?" She looked up from her own drink. "Yeah. I think engagement was one of the best days of my life. You should get engaged next time, George."

"I doubt polygamy is going to solve my problems." She snorted into her drink, which got him laughing. And for a long time, they couldn't stop.

* * *

**024: Equal**

_Continuity:_ During _'No Man's Land'_

To George, Izzie was always his equal. In fact, a lot of times, he was convinced that she was probably a better doctor than he was.

So when he found her in her room, pouring over a binder, he figured she was studying, because that's what interns do in their free time."Want me to quiz you?"

"Now that everyone knows about this-" Izzie held out the binder, which turned out to be full of photos from her modeling days."-I'm worried people will treat me differently."

"Look, you've always been an equal to me, and you always will be."

* * *

**025: Exposure**

_Continuity:_ During _'Wishin' and Hopin''_

"You realize that was really stupid of you, right?" Izzie was leaning against the bedframe, pouring over his vitals.

"Yeah," George murmured from around his oxygen mask. "But it was brave, right?"

"Of course," she murmured, staring over her shoulder at him and batting her eyelashes in mock exasperation. "My hero."

"So everyone's gonna be okay?"

"I dunno. How do you feel?"

"Weak. But I'm okay." George noticed Izzie waving a tray of food over. "Oh, God..."

"It's just chicken soup," she turned to leave, shooting a glare in his direction. "Just eat it, or else you might not recover."


	6. F is for Fate

**Rogue Note:** I'd just like to point out that, while I know the Grey's Anatomy community is pretty divided in regards to the whole O'Stevens argument, I happen to agree with it. Nothing you can say or do is going to change my mind. If you feel the need to violently flame my stories because you don't like the pairing, go right ahead. The Internet is fair game. I can't stop you.

But just know that the O'Stevens community is out there watching you, and we're gonna stay strong. Because that's what shippers do. Am I right?

Now that I'm done preaching...

**DISCLAIMER: **Shonda Rhimes not Doc.

* * *

**026: Family**

_Continuity: Christmas; Year Two_

Christmas is a family holiday.

For doctors, there's no such thing as a holiday. Which was why she was here, tending to an almost empty clinic. Christmas Eve was probably one of the dullest days to work in a hospital.

"Eggnog!" She looked up from her chart and arched an eyebrow. George was holding out a cup.

She took it hesitantly, watching as he downed his in one gulp. "Come on, Iz. It's Christmas Eve!" And somehow, they were walking down the hallways singing carols to the ICU patients an hour later, wearing Santa hats.

Christmas is a family holiday.

* * *

**027: Fate**

_Continuity:_ After _'Didn't We Almost Have It All?' _

George stood outside the hospital, staring at the roof. Today would have been the day he started his residency, had he passed his exam. Instead, he, felt just as sick as he had a year ago, and a little more alone. At least then he'd had company.

He knew what Izzie would say. She believed in karma, fate, and the good. She would say everything happened for a reason. George barely noticed when she appeared at his side, gazing at him with the same anxious expression he wore.

"Maybe it's fate. Fate doesn't want the Dream Team to split up..."

* * *

**028: Flavor**

Continuity: Anytime

"Chocolate or vanilla?" It was late, it was raining, and he and Izzie were playing twenty questions. Why? Well, George wasn't quite sure, but there was an empty tequila bottle on the floor at their feet. He had no idea where Meredith had gone, but was sure the drinking game had started with her.

"Chocolate."

Izzie groaned, shaking her head. "Vanilla!"

"Vanilla's safe. Everyone knows chocolate is richer and darker and more flavorful."

"No, everyone just thinks that. Vanilla's just as dangerous as chocolate, just as flavorful, and much more unique."

George grinned. "You know what they say: Opposites attract."

* * *

**029: First**

_Continuity:_ During _'Scars and Souvenirs'_

She'd leaned forward to see if the bump on his head was serious; he _had_ hit his head. But Izzie found herself caught in his gaze. She wondered why she'd never noticed it before. George's eyes were captivating. And he was looking at her differently, too. She could tell that much.

And then he was moving closer, and she was leaning forward, too. When their lips met, it seemed to send electricity through her body. Just as she began to relax into it, he'd broken the kiss.

Alcohol could definitely enhance the senses. The electricity on her lips felt real.

* * *

**030: Friends**

_Continuity: Anytime_

"Come on, George.This is what friends do."

"I'm pretty sure friends don't do this."

Izzie pulled him out of the bathroom. "Of course they do. I asked you for help, and you gave it. Stand still."

George eyed the bobby pins she was holding and backed away instinctively. "No I- _Ow_, Izzie- Friends don't let friends drive drunk. Friends_ don't make other friends model dresses _for them!"

Izzie chuckled slightly, pulling the pin out of his thigh. "You're not modeling it. You're helping me size it. Now stop moving."

"Oh, sure, because we _totally_ wear the same dress size."


	7. G is for Grace

**Rogue Note: **I don't update much on weekends. I probably should've given you guys a warning beforehand, but I forgot how lazy I seem to get. I tend to write more during the week anyway. But, here's the update you've been waiting for anyway.

**DISCLAIMER:** Yo no poseo la Anatomía Gris.

* * *

**031: Gentle**

_Continuity:_ During _'Scars and Souvenirs'_

The alcohol might have affected her coherency, but Izzie swore it enhanced her senses. Touch seemed particularly amplified. She wondered why she'd never noticed it before. George was always touching her in some way. A hand on her shoulder, fingers through her hair, his breath on her cheek.

It wasn't that he touched her that surprised her, but just how gentle his touch was. It was the gentlest touch Izzie had ever experienced. His hand was atop hers, giving it the lightest squeeze. Even his voice seemed softer. "You're really something special, Iz. And I'll always be here for you."

* * *

**032: Give**

_Continuity:_ After _'Testing 1-2-3'_

With George and Izzie, there's give and there's take. But mostly, there's give. It's what you do when you love someone. It's what best friends do: they give. Izzie would give George everything. She's already given him everything. She's given him everything _more than once_.

But with George and Izzie, there's give and take. When George gives her an out, Izzie takes it, not because she wants to, but because, in a roundabout way, she's giving George his life back.

And George takes it. But in a way, George is giving back all that Izzie gave him.

And that hurts.

* * *

**033: Gossip**

_Continuity: Anytime_

"Did you hear?"

George turned, glancing at Izzie. "About what?"

"Meredith. And Dere-"

"Why is the topic of interest in the place always the 'Life and Times of Meredith Grey?'" George wondered, turning slightly to lean against the nurses' station. "Besides, what makes you think I want to hear about the latest gossip?"

"Because you're a gossip."

"I am _not_ a gossip." Izzie stared at him. George rubbed his temples. "Well, I'm only a gossip because _you're_ a gossip and you're my best friend." He turned back to his charts. "_Well_? What about Meredith and Derek?"

George was a gossip.

* * *

**034: Grace**

_Continuity: Anytime_

Sometimes, George found himself stealing glances at Izzie from across the hallway, just to watch her. Izzie walked with a certain model's grace, as if the entire hospital was her runway. There was confidence, and yet it was an elegant sort of movement. The funny thing was, Izzie didn't even seem to notice she had the certain spring to her step George found so captivating.

"Anyone ever tell you that you have a model's grace?"

"What makes you say that?"

George shrank back at the edge to her voice. "I just mean you have a very _graceful_ walk."

"Oh...Thanks."

* * *

**035: Guilt**

_Continuity:_ After _'The Other Side of This Life'_

It was a strange thing, feeling guilty for shooting glances at her best friend. Now, it was different. When their eyes met, it was the kind of glance that you held for only a second before glancing in the opposite direction. Her emotions had settled. But after talking with Callie...

Now, instead of flares of jealousy when the O'Malleys walked down the hallway, Izzie felt a rush of guilt. What had possessed her to sleep with her best friend anyway?

The thing was, you can't help who you fall in love with, no matter how guilty it makes you feel.


	8. H is for Home

**Rogue Note:** H was a weird letter for me. I started out with five completely different prompts, and ended up with these. I like most of them, though '**Healthy**' seems short to me. But that's what I get for writing a Drabble Challenge, eh? Anyway, I figured I owed you for the weekend drought. Oh, and '**Habit**' and '**Home**' are sort of connected. You'll see once you read. They actually weren't intended to be that way but...Sometimes George writes himself into things.

**DISCLAIMER: **I have a scheme to get the ownership documents from Shonda. I'll update you next time.

* * *

**036: Habit**

_Continuity:_ After _'Wishin' and Hopin''_

It was pitch black in her room. The only indication that anyone was alive within the mass of blankets on the bed was the pair of chocolate brown eyes, wide, and staring blankly at the ceiling. Meredith's house always had the irritating quality of never feeling quite like home.

Unless she was in George's bed.

With a groan, Izzie got to her feet and knocked loudly on the door to what used to be George's room before barging in and flipping on the light. She threw a pillow at Alex's head before stripping the blankets from the bed. "Get out."

* * *

**037: Healthy**

_Continuity: Anytime_

"Sign this."

Izzie stared at the form under her nose. "Sure, if you let me give you a physical."

"You know I'm healthy, and I just need it for my insurance-"

"Just take off your shirt. It'll only take a second..." He cast a wary glance around.

"Not here," he hissed, pulling her into a nearby linen closet. He stared at her for a moment before shrugging off his shirt.

She felt him tense as she pressed the stethoscope to his back, felt the goose bumps forming under her fingers. Izzie heard his heart beating rapidly.

"Well, Doc?"

"You'll live..."

* * *

**038: Heart**

_Continuity:_ During _'17 Seconds'_

"_Izzie_, you can't do this." He watched her gather the supplies Denny would need if he suddenly went into cardiac arrest. "This is wrong. This is wrong on so many levels..."

" He _needs_ this heart."

"If he doesn't get this one-"

"_No_, George. He needs this heart. If he doesn't get this heart and something goes wrong..."

"They'll bring him back!"

"He's DNR." The tone in her voice was desperate now. "Look, if he doesn't get this heart, then _my_ heart's gonna end up broken, and _you'll_ be the one to pick up the pieces. Just like you always do."

* * *

**039: Helium**

_Continuity:_ During _'Losing My Religion'_

"I highly doubt teenagers need this many balloons at their prom." Izzie laughed as she tied off one of the balloons and batted it into the pile."It's boring, too."

"At least we're not talking to those girls anymore. I didn't understand teenager girls when I _was_ a teenage girl." George handed her another balloon. She studied it for a moment, fingers holding it closed. "Are they filled with helium?"

"Why?" He shouldn't have asked. Izzie had inhaled a large amount of the stuff and was giggling in a high-pitched voice. "You're insane."

"Don't knock it 'til you try it!"

* * *

**040: Home**

_Continuity:_ After _'Wishin' and Hopin''_

This was a hotel room. This room came equipped with room service, a mini-bar, and a very large king-sized bed. There was no tequila in the cabinets, and there certainly wasn't anyone making loud, obscene noises next door (that he could hear). But this bed wasn't _his_ bed. Alex was in _his_ bed

This room wouldn't be invaded in the middle of the night, George realized once the lights were turned off and Callie's soft snores had faded into quiet sleep. But George was wide awake, staring at the ceiling. Izzie wasn't coming to his room tonight.

This wasn't home.


	9. I is for Insomnia

**041:Identical**

_Continuity: Halloween; Intern Year_

The Chief threw another party.

It was Halloween, and the Chief threw a party.

They walked in arm in arm, laughing and wearing matching maroon sweaters. Izzie brushed a lock of red hair from her face. "_I_ wanted to be George."

"My name is George," he stated. "Besides, I already had the sweater." She pulled at his hair, tucking a ginger strand behind his ear.

"Fine." They moved across the lobby toward the punch bowl.

Alex surveyed the two with a raised eyebrow. "What the hell are you supposed to be?"

"Weasley twins," one of them stated. "Look! We're identical!"

* * *

**042: IHOP**

_Continuity: Anytime_

"Why am I at IHOP at 3 a.m.?" George mumbled from over his cup of coffee. It tasted like tar. Izzie sat across from him, pancakes stacked in front of her.

"Because we were on call, and I'm hungry." Izzie plunged her fork into the stack.

"You like pancakes?" George pushed his coffee away.

"We're in the International House of _Pancakes_. You don't?"

"I prefer waffles."

Izzie stared at him."Pancakes were sent down from heaven."

"Pancakes cause clogged arteries and heart attacks."

"Don't be a doctor. Be a person." She then shoved a fork of pancakes into his mouth.

* * *

**043: Initiation**

_Continuity:_ During _'A Hard Day's Night'_

"It's like initiation." George stared at her. Izzie stared back.

"What?" They sat in the tunnels, their own personal hideaway from their superiors.

"Intern initiation. We all get screwed somehow within our first forty-eight hours. You get your first surgery and need bailed out. I-" George bobbed his head slowly, realization dawning on him.

"-you get to do enemas all day."

"-and you get labeled as 007." Izzie shook her head, a grin forming on her lips. "Doesn't mean anything. Initiation weeds out the weak."

"...I still think I'd have done better in Geriatrics..."

"Geriatrics isn't as sexy as surgery, though..."

* * *

**044: Insomnia**

_Continuity:_ After _'Losing My Religion'_

She didn't like to close her eyes, so Izzie didn't sleep.

"George?" She wondered as a pale ray of light entered her darkened room. And when he sank onto the bed next to her, she clung to him, glad to find at least he was warm, and not ice cold like her ex-fiancé.

George let her collapse in his lap, arms wrapped around her. Izzie rested her head on his shoulder, though her eyes didn't close. He didn't say a word. He didn't have to. Izzie knew nothing would fill the hole, but at least George made her feel safe.

* * *

**045: Irony**

_Continuity:_ After _'The Other Side of This Life'_

Callie O'Malley. Izzie blinked, watching her cross the hallway across from where she was filing papers. George was in a patient's room, and Callie waited outside the room for her- for George to reappear. When he did, he kissed her lightly on the lips, only a peck, and together, they turned and walked down the corridor, fingers linked.

Izzie stared after them, pen poised an inch above the form she'd been filling out. The irony of it all came crashing down on her. Indirectly, Izzie had given George permission to elope with Callie if that was _what made him happy_.

* * *

**Author's Note: **No, I have not fallen off of the face of the earth. My muse, however, decided to run away and I couldn't find it for a long time (it was in an old box labeled 'High School'). When I finally got it back I had to head back to school and well...time ran away with me. Classes are already harder, but that's to be expected.

Anyway...'Identical' will only be vaguely recognized if you've read the 7th Harry Potter book. The rest are...written because I apparently have no need for sleep anymore. Enjoy!

**DISCLAIMER: **Well, according to my sources Shonda still owns Grey's...


	10. J is for Journey

**045: Journey**

_Continuity:_ After_ 'Didn't We Almost Have it All?'_

"You have to talk to me sometime," he stated from his post leaning against Izzie's doorframe. She'd taken to staying in her room for the last few days, leaving Meredith at a loss of what to do and so she called in reinforcements. George was the reinforcements.

"I will if you sing Journey," she murmured.

George inhaled sharply. "Just a small town girl, livin' in a lonely world. She took the midnight train goin' anywhere"

She waited a beat before continuing, "Just a city boy, grew up in south Detroit..."

"Izzie... Am I the city boy?"

"I'm the small-town girl."

* * *

**046: Judge**

_Continuity:_ During _'Didn't We Almost Have it All?'_

She felt like she was on trial. Izzie sat sullenly in one of the pews of the now deserted church, staring up at the unoccupied altar. After Cristina's not-wedding, everyone had left. Not Izzie. She waited, wondering if George would show up for Cristina, thinking there was still a wedding, or if he'd realize what had happened and come anyway.

Or if he wouldn't come at all. She stared ahead, waiting for the verdict.

George was the judge, and she was on trial.

Apparently, she was guilty. But since when was falling in love with your best friend a crime?

* * *

**047: Jump**

_Continuity: Anytime_

Somehow, he was twelve years old again, and he was standing on the high-dive at the local swimming pool. People below were urging him to take the plunge. And he was frozen. "I can't do this."

"You're right." He was startled to hear her voice so close. Izzie was standing behind him. "You can't do it alone." She held out her hand, and he took it, surprised at the warmth he felt at her touch. "We'll do it together. On three..."

And somehow, when Izzie said 'three' he jumped, and it didn't feel like such a big deal after all.

* * *

**048: Junker**

_Continuity:_ After_ the Intern Mixer_

"So, was it your first car?" He stared at her leaning against the trunk of his '84 Toyota. George gave a sheepish smile, keys clutched in hand as he shook his head slowly.

"I just bought it, actually," he stated slowly, gauging her reaction. Izzie bobbed her head slowly, surveying the truck with an interested gaze."I wanted to buy my own car, without my parents' help. It was all I could afford at the time..."

"I respect a doctor who drives a junker instead of an expensive car," Izzie stated. "It shows tact."

"Thanks..." Tact was a compliment, right?

* * *

**049: Jury**

_Continuity:_ After _'Didn't We Almost Have it All?'_

He saw the way the others sensed something between them. Sometimes, George wished he could ask them what they thought of his predicament. Because, seriously, since when was he good at making decisions? Alex would know which girl he should pick. And Meredith would be helpful, he knew.

Cristina would probably laugh. And, besides, he couldn't risk telling any one of them without word getting around to the entire hospital within a day's time. So, he kept to himself. No matter how much he wished he had a jury to make the decision for him, only he could truly decide.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I guess you could say 'Judge' and 'Jury' are slightly connected. I didn't intend for that in the beginning, but it turned out nicely. Um, listening to Jouerney while writing spawned 'Journey'...Don't ask me about the diving board one. I've always pictured George as a guy who wants to stand on his own two feet, even if his parents will give him anything he wants. So he's got an '84 Toyota. Yep. 

**DISCLAIMER: **I only own my own Anatomy, thanks very much.


	11. K is for Kindergarten

**050: Keep**

_Continuity:_ After _'Desire'_

There was a saying that went 'to capture and to keep'. Staring down at the picture, she heaved a long sigh. He'd managed to capture her heart without even realizing it, and he kept it, even now.

Izzie couldn't help but smile at the Kodak moment displayed in the photo George had taken. They were sitting under a tree, studying for exams. He had his arm around her shoulder and they were laughing.

Scribbled on the back of the photo in George's handwriting was _Dream Team practice session._

If she couldn't keep George, at least she could keep those memories.

* * *

**051: Kindergarten**

_Continuity: _During_ 'A Hard Day's Night'_

The interns were spread out across the locker room, separated into little cliques and talking quietly. He was leaning against his locker, eyes closed and feeling nauseous. "This is like the first day of kindergarten all over again," he muttered, slightly surprised when he heard a vaguely familiar laugh and someone respond to his statement.

"You wish. Kindergarten isn't hyper-competitive like internship is..." His eyes slid open to fall upon Izzie Stevens, and he instantly felt his eyes light up. "But it's like kindergarten in one way. You make friends fast in internship, too."

George found himself grinning. "Just like kindergarten..."

* * *

**052: Knight**

_Continuity:_ After _'Time After Time'_

Derek was Meredith's knight in shining whatever. Izzie didn't think she had a knight at all until he'd come to her rescue in the middle of her bone-marrow donation. His words kept playing in her head, how he'd said he'd always be there for her. And somehow, she knew George wasn't lying. She could tell when George was lying, because the skin around his eyes crinkled. He'd been staring her straight in the eye then, and he hadn't been lying.

George was her knight in shining armor. Whether she was a damsel in distress or not was up to interpretation.

* * *

**053: Knitting**

_Continuity:_ During _'The Name of the Game'_

"Remind me why you're knitting again," George murmured. He was sitting in the den with Izzie. She seemed very preoccupied with a shapeless mass of yarn in her lap.

"Because Meredith is celibate," she stated dully. George raised an eyebrow. "I'm knitting a sweater because Meredith is celibate and replacing sex with knitting. And I'm replacing pieces of her sweater with mine so she can think she's actually knitting."

"_You're_ not celibate, are you?"

"No. I'm actually using this sweater as a gift for a guy." George snorted. Izzie chuckled Meredith's shapeless blob of a sweater at him. "Shut up."

* * *

**054: Knot**

_Continuity: _After _Season One_

"Wanna tie the knot with me, huh?" He glanced up from tying his shoelaces to stare blankly at his roommate. She was looking at him in the most serious of ways, her eyebrow arched slightly.

"_What_? Blonde, stacked super models don't tie knots with _me_.""

"I'm talking about our shoes, George." She gestured to the tennis shoes they were both wearing. One of his was still untied. "Come on. We're gonna be late for work."

George forced the image of Izzie in a wedding dress out of his head.

"Oh, come on, George. It could happen."

And she smiled suggestively.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I kind of love 'Knot'. Because, to me, there have been very subtle hints at the George/Izzie relationship since very early on, and this is just the kind of thing Izzie would say. And of course she's joking, but George takes it out of context and...well, she leaves him wondering. 'Knitting' was suggested by addexluv. Hope you like it. 'Kindergarten' is the result of having seen High School Musical too many times...'Knight' is based on Meredith's line...And 'Keep' is based on the phrase 'To capture and to keep'. 

As a side note, I have this O'Stevens playlist that reminds me of George and Izzie, and whenever I listen to it, I end up writing and updating. If you're interested in the tracks, shoot me a PM. And...I'm gonna stop now, before this A/N's longer than the entry.

**DISCLAIMER: **I'm taking an Anatomy course. Does that count?


	12. L is for Lingerie

**055: Laughter**

_Continuity:_ After _'Six Days Part Two'_

He always knew when Izzie laughed, because her laughter was so distinctive. She'd tip her head back, and the corners of her eyes would crinkle ever so slightly.

But neither of them had laughed much lately. George was still in the grieving stage, and he hadn't hit the 'laughing for no reason' stage.

Yet.

They were sitting in Really Old Guy's room, playing cards. Izzie laid down a Jack, and he'd snorted with laughter. "What?"

"He looks like Alex."

Izzie didn't think so, but George's laughter got her laughing. What they said was true; laughter really was the best medicine.

* * *

**056: Life**

_Continuity:_ During _'Sometimes A Miracle'_

"It's fragile," Izzie murmured softly, causing George to shoot her glare from over the files he was pouring over. They were supposed to be reorganizing patient records, because no one trusted any of them with actual medical work now. They might be losing one of their own. It was affecting everyone.

George's hand was shaking.

Izzie was rambling. Again.

"Life's fragile, but she's strong. She'll pull through. She has to."

"Death can't win every time," George responded, voice sounding tired. "Maybe the good_ is_ on our side."

Izzie took that as a sign that he wasn't really mad at her.

* * *

**057: Linger**

_Continuity:_ After_ 'Scars and Souvenirs';_ During_ 'My Favorite Mistake'_

Izzie had a very recognizable smell. She wore this perfume. He didn't know what it was called, but it smelled like flowers, and her hair always had the scent of Sunsilk brand shampoo, the kind made specifically for blondes. He knew this because he'd _lived_ in that house, saw the shampoo bottle every morning, and Izzie _always_ smelled like that.

All day, he'd tried to pinpoint the familiar smell he'd found on his t-shirt that traveled with him when he changed into his scrubs. It was through the day, just lingering.

And then he realized it was _her_ smell. _Izzie_.

* * *

**058: Lingerie**

_Continuity:_ After _'No Man's Land'_

He was used to Izzie wandering into his room by now. It had begun on their second night in Meredith's house, because Izzie couldn't sleep and it just wasn't_ home_ to her. What George wasn't accustomed to was to see his best friend in what looked suspiciously like lacy underwear.

Skidding down the hallway, foamy toothbrush still in his mouth, George managed to catch her just as she was slipping into his bed. "What is _that_?"

"...Everything else is in the wash."

George stooped to pick up his dropped toothbrush. "Well, now I know why they call you Doctor Model..."

* * *

**059: Love**

_Continuity:_ Before _'Didn't We Almost Have it All?'_

She'd done it. She'd told him she didn't have feelings for him, when she was obviously lying through her teeth, to herself and to George. Slumped on the floor of the linen closet, yes_ the_ linen closet, a thousand thoughts swirled around her, threatening to crush Izzie under their weight.

Her reasoning was that she couldn't live without George, and that she'd said it to make him stay. It was what best-friend-Izzie would do. Except she had this feeling tugging at her heartstrings telling her she wasn't best-friend-Izzie anymore, and he wasn't best-friend-George.

She was in love with George O'Malley.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Why does it seem like whenever I'm supposed to be doing something else, my writing muse comes back? Well, anyway, hope you enjoy. Because I had fun writing them, especially 'Lingerie'. Because Izzie seems like the kind of person to leave doing the laundry to the last minute, and, seriously, who wants to wash clothes after a hard day of being an intern? Haha.

**DISCLAIMER: **Grey's anatomy, sadly, doesn't not belong to Derek Shepherd anymore. Even more depressing, I don't own _anyone's _anatomy. Well, besides mine.


	13. M is for Maybe

**060: Maybe**

_Continuity:_ After _Season Three_

**Maybe**; _adverb_: perhaps, possibly.

_noun_: a possibility or uncertainty.

Maybe it had been a huge mistake. Maybe sleeping with his best friend had been an alcohol-induced mistake and that was all there was to it. Maybe she didn't have feelings for him, and he didn't desperately want her. Maybe George didn't love Izzie, and maybe she felt the same way. Maybe it was just a big misunderstanding.

Maybe George's feelings were justified. Maybe it was fate, karma, and the good, and they were meant to be. Maybe George was in love with Izzie.

And maybe she felt the same way.

* * *

**061: Meredith**

_Continuity:_ During _the Intern Mixer_

George felt like he was in ninth grade at the school dance, going stag because he'd been too afraid of rejection to ask anyone to go with him. Staring across the lobby, the first person to catch his eye was the Chief of Surgery, only because he felt like a ninth grader, and Webber was like the principal.

Then, his gaze drifted to a pretty blonde, tall, stacked and probably a super-model. Not that anyone like her could ever fall for someone like him.

And then his eyes wandered to that other girl. What was her name again?

Meredith Grey.

* * *

**062: Missing**

_Continuity:_ After _'Desire'_

There was something missing, and he couldn't put his finger on it. He had his car keys, and the keycard to the hotel room. His wallet was in his pocket, and he'd remembered to shower. George got into the car, still racking his brain for what was missing, because he knew if he didn't figure it out now, it would bother him all day.

There was traffic along the main road, so he took a shortcut. As his truck slithered passed the house, they were just getting into Meredith's car. He barely caught the flash of blonde. _She_ was missing.

* * *

**063: Monday**

_Continuity: Anytime_

The alarm always seemed to ring sooner on Monday mornings, loud and shrill. George would groan, slam the snooze button, and Izzie would knock loudly on the door as she went by, telling him breakfast was ready.

He slunk down the stairs a few minutes later, hair tousled and still damp as he slumped into a chair at the table. "I hate Monday."

Izzie moved passed him and ruffled his hair. "Don't be a grouch, George. I made muffins."

His eyes lit up and he snatched one, like it was a surprise. Izzie always made him muffins on Monday, just because.

* * *

**064: Moon**

_Continuity:_ After _'Testing 1-2-3'_

Most nights, Izzie didn't get much sleep. In fact, it was rare that she even went up to her own room anymore, because it held all those memories, good and bad. And she couldn't deal with them when she was trying to sleep, because they only made her nostalgic and want to bake.

So she sat up in the room that used to be George's, staring out the open window, her elbows propped on the sill. Her gaze held the full moon. Somehow, she found comfort in the fact that George might be looking at the same moon she was.

* * *

**Author's Note:** The muse will not leave me alone! I have an Anatomy exam to study for! No, not Grey's Anatomy! But...I love 'Maybe'. The format, with the definition above the short drabble? A stroke of genius. And 'Meredith' is my explanation for why George went after her in the first place. Because you do not just start thinking someone is 'blonde and stacked' overnight. It's a long-term thing.

**DISCLAIMER:** I will soon be the proud owner of an 'F' on my Anatomy exam! But that's about it.


	14. N is for Nap

**065: Nap**

_Continuity: Anytime_

Izzie and George had been on-call last night, and were somewhere around halfway done with a thirty-six hour shift. They sat side by side on the bottom bunk, talking about everything and nothing just to stay awake. "And then Meredith says-" His eyes had been closed, but George feels the warmth of her body shift next to him, feels her head slip onto his shoulder. "-Izzie, are you listening?"

George tilts his head slightly, noticing how her head droops onto his shoulder, and how peaceful Izzie looks when she sleeps. "Typical..."

On-call rooms. Sleep when you can, where you can.

* * *

**066: Near**

_Continuity: _After_ 'My Favorite Mistake'_

George was one of those touchy-feely people. You know, the kind that likes to give hugs, and don't notice when their hand inconspicuously covers yours, or the way his breath tickles when he whispers in your ear. Izzie notices, and before, she just put it down to George being George.

But, lately, his touchy-feeliness has disappeared. There's no hand on her shoulder, he's not playing with her hair, and even when they're inches apart during rounds, there's a clear space between them.

And while he's so near, Izzie swears that the space between them is endless.

Being near isn't enough.

* * *

**067: Nerves**

_Continuity:_ After _'The First Cut is the Deepest'_

"You'll be fine." George still had that shocked look on his face, the one that said 'Why the hell would Burke trust me again?' And Izzie's looking at him in that exasperated yet concerned way that he's learned to love.

"What if-"

Her hand is over his mouth, and her eyes catch his. George finds himself trapped, and kind of enjoying it. "You'll be fine. It's just nerves."

She released his mouth and he sucks in a breath. "And I'll be right outside in the scrub room making sure you don't screw up."

And somehow, that makes George feel better.

* * *

**068: Nobody**

_Continuity:_ During _'Didn't We Almost Have it All?'_

Nobody could possibly make him feel the way Izzie did.

First off, she was his best friend. And best friends don't let best friends drive drunk. They should also refrain from having best friend sex drunk (even if both parties totally enjoyed it). Then, after telling him how much he meant it (more than once), she says she doesn't have feelings for him.

But now she does, and she loves him, and she wants to meet him at the Church.

George is in the locker room, staring at his test results. And all he can think about is Izzie Stevens.

* * *

**069: Nothing**

_Continuity:_ _Anytime_

"Hey, George!"

He greets her without even bothering to look; he'd know that voice anywhere. "What, Iz?" She bounces up to him as he's jotting down notes on one of his cases. Izzie grins at him in that 'I've-been-on-call-for-thirty-six-hours-caffeine-rush' sort of way before shrugging.

"Nothing." He groans, turning back to his paperwork.

"George?" Her voice is serious now, and she's hovering over his shoulder. It takes all his concentration to ignore her, and not answer. It's just what she wants. But she's there, and she's reading over his shoulder and her perfume is clouding his nostrils... Silence.

"_What_?"

She grins. "...Nothing..."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the lack of updates. Classes have decided to take over my life. Seven exams this week. I'm neglecting studying for one by writing this. When I'm supposed to be studying, I have a writing muse. Go figure. Hmm...My favorite of these is probably 'Nap'...and 'Nothing' started out as a very serious prompt. Well, that didn't work out, did it?

**DISCLAIMER:** I own _Gray's Anatomy_. You know, the massive textbook? That's about it.


	15. O is for Operation

**070: Ointment**

_Continuity:_ After _'Who's Zoomin' Who?'_

The bathroom door's firmly locked, but Izzie knows if you jiggle the handle a little it'll open. She also knows George is in there. She bursts in, barely noticing George bent over, and moves to grab the toothpaste.

George looks up, dropping the tube he'd been holding and staring blankly at her. "Iz_zie_. The door was locked for a reason." He fumbles with the drawstring of his pants and she rolls her eyes.

"Don't bother, George. I've already seen your cute butt." She points her foamy toothbrush at him accusingly. "Now put that ointment on before it swells up again..."

* * *

**071: Old**

_Continuity:_ After _'Great Expectations'_

They're in their late twenties, but they act like they're seventeen years old. Interns don't think about the future, aside from which surgery they're going to scrub in on or what their specialty will be once residency begins. But with George, sitting on the floor of the locker room and playing cards, Izzie thinks about the future.

Surgeons love to cut, so they'll be working until their mid-sixties at the very least. Then, they'll buy a house and sit on the porch in rocking chairs and watch the cars go by.

She and George will grow old and wrinkly together.

* * *

**072: Once**

_Continuity:_ During _'Scars and Souvenirs'_

Somehow, they've stumbled their way up the stairs without injuring themselves (or each other) with a lot of giggling and shushing. Neither of them are making much of an effort to keep their voices down, or their clothes on. Before Izzie knows what's happening, she's pulling his shirt off and his hand's on the waistband of her jeans.

Then they're on her bed (which is weird, because it's usually his bed). And before she knows what's hit her they're sitting side by side again, breathing heavily and clearly...naked.

George is the one who says it. "Want to go again?"

* * *

**073: Operation**

_Continuity:_ During _'Time After Time'_

They're supposed to be fighting.

He's the one who told her to back off, but he's still George and she's still Izzie. They're still best friends, even if there was sad sex (oh, who is he kidding; it was not sad. It was mind blowing). And best friends tell each other important things. Like when they decide to give someone a bone marrow transplant.

But even when he's supposed to be avoiding her, all George can think about is that Izzie's having an operation, and he's not there to hold her hand like she did when his dad had surgery.

* * *

**074: Opposites**

_Continuity: Anytime_

He likes chocolate, and she prefers vanilla.

Izzie and George are about as different as two sides of a coin, but somehow, that's what brings them closer together. Their personalities mash and mold together to form one almost complete, almost sane person. Alone, they're not really complete, and they're probably not quite sane. And even if they're total opposites, it seems to work.

Opposites attract, like magnets. Izzie's like south, wild and impulsive and George is north, the constant, the one who's always there.

And, even if a coin as two sides, they come together to form one whole coin.

* * *

**Author's Note:** The last one really is a drabble. It's kind of pointless, and a space-filler, but somehow it seems to fit. I really liked writing 'Ointment'. My comedic outlet needs to get out somehow. 'Once' is sort of a play on _You meant it more than once. _I like to think George is the one who decided to take it one step farther. He's the one who wanted to 'go again'. Oh. And 'Operation' is nice. I like doing little deleted scenes...

**DISCLAIMER:** As much as I'd love to take credit for Shonda's work, I have to admit that I only own stock in Grey's Anatomy.

No. Not Seriously.


	16. P is for Pink

**075: Person**

_Continuity:_ After _'Six Days Part Two'_

"You don't have to do this."

She stared at him through the clear shower curtain, moving the thin barrier aside to catch his gaze. "You were there when I wanted to lie on the bathroom floor. So I'm here for you as long as you want to sit in the bathtub." George's pillow and comforter rested in the tub, and fragments of food littered the bathroom floor. He sat in the tub, and she sat with her back pressed against it, speaking to him over her shoulder.

"You're my person, George. I'm staying."

"...Did you get that from Meredith?"

"...Yeah..."

* * *

**076:** **Photographs**

_Continuity:_ During _'Walk on Water'_

The burst of light made her wince, eyes unfocused as she turned her gaze away from Meredith trying to 'diagnose' Sydney. "What're you doing?" Izzie mumbled, trying to snatch the camera from him. Because of the bright lights popping in front of her eyes, there appeared to be three Georges. She aimed for the wrong one.

He waved the freshly taken photograph in front of her face. "I'm documenting the drill." Izzie moved to pluck the photograph from his fingers, but Bailey cut her off.

"Stevens!" She moved forward, shooting George a glance when the camera's flash went off again.

* * *

**077: Pink**

_Continuity: Anytime_

When he'd snatched the pink bottle lying on the bathroom floor, he'd assumed it was shampoo. George always borrowed Izzie's shampoo, and sometimes Meredith's if Izzie was out. So he was slightly startled when he emerged from the shower and looked in the foggy mirror to see strands of bright pink peering at him underneath the towel.

"IZZIE!"

"What?" She opened the door and peeked inside, surveying her friend's appearance. "That was Meredith's hair dye. She went through an angry teenager phase."

"My hair is pink."

"Relax. It's only temporary."

George combed his hands roughly through his hair. "I think."

* * *

**078: Priceless**

_Continuity:_ After _'Wishin' and Hopin'"_

"The Denny Duquette Memorial Clinic." He stood outside the new addition to Seattle Grace, arms folded as he glanced around at patients and doctors beginning to leave. They slowly walked through the doors of the clinic. "Adding on to the hospital?"

Izzie inhaled deeply, eyes closed. "Millions of dollars."

"Labor?" The doors shut behind them.

"Thousands of dollars."

"Supplies?" Izzie brushed the walls with her hands.

"Thousands of dollars."

"Total cost. Eight point seven million dollars." George tilted his head slightly. "Spending the money on a good cause?"

Izzie grinned. "Priceless."

"You sound like a MasterCard commercial..."

"You started it."

* * *

**079: Prince**

_Continuity:_ After _'Didn't We Almost Have it All?'_

As a child, Izzie believed that her life would end like the fairytales always do. She would marry her prince charming, and they would find their happily ever after together. But now, leaving an empty church behind, Izzie realized that fairytales weren't real.

Heroines usually don't steal hearts and cut LVAD wires, and princes generally weren't already married. Today, there was no happily ever after; the fairytale wasn't real for anyone.

Alex lost Eva. Cristina lost Burke. Meredith gave away her McDreamy.

Izzie lost George.

But maybe, if she kept on the lookout for frogs, eventually her prince would return.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Two days. And I'm having convulsions. Actually, sorry for the brief gap in updates. I'm sick. Pneumonia. And the perscription I'm on makes me a little loopy. That's my explanation for 'Prince'. It sounds weird to me, because I think the medication I'm on is affecting my brain. 'Priceless' was suggested by addexluv. Yes, it's cliche. Ohwell.

**DISCLAIMER:** I'm too tired to think of a funny dislaimer. I don't own...anything.


	17. Q is for Question

**080: Quarantine**

_Continuity: Season Two_

"You stabbed me with a needle that might contain contaminated blood!" He was pacing. She was sprawled out on a bench in the locker room, staring at the ceiling.

"_You_ ran into _me_." Izzie sounded exasperated, as if he'd told her this many times already. "But then I'd be quarantined all alone." She grinned.

"You did it on purpose, didn't you!"

"The woman might have Hepatitis, George."

"You still didn't answer my question."

She sat up. "No, I did not purposely stab you with a needle."

George flopped down next to her. "How long have we been in here?"

"...Twenty minutes..."

* * *

**081: Question**

_Continuity:_ After _the Intern Mixer_

He pulled up to the bar across the street in his truck, with Isobel Stevens in the passenger seat. He told himself that he'd offered to drive her because it was raining (Seattle), although the little voice in his head told him otherwise.

George wasn't sure what compelled him to ask, but he did anyway. "Can I ask you a question?"

She shrugged. "Sure."

"You have a boyfriend?"

She hesitated. He grasped a small shred of hope. "...Yeah." Of course a girl like Isobel would have a boyfriend. "You have a girlfriend?"

He didn't know what made him answer. "Yep."

* * *

**082: Quiet**

Continuity: During 'Who's Zoomin' Who?'

The conference room was dead silent, and all eyes were on Patricia. "When the time is right and gentleman, you'll all know when that time is, carefully open the condom packet and roll it onto the banana." Izzie snorted. George elbowed her in the ribs.

The snickers began, and Izzie leaned over. "Guess you didn't realize the time was right, huh?"

George winced, eyes wide. The entire room had gone silent, all eyes wandering from George to Izzie. George blushed. "No! It's not what you think! We're not-"

"With every fresh banana, use a fresh condom..." Izzie palmed her head.

* * *

**083: Quintessential**

_Continuity:_ After _'Time After Time'_

She won't make it if George can't be her friend. He's the one who drove her home after Denny died, his bed feels like home more than her own, and George somehow knows the right words to say when words never seem like enough. He holds her hair back when she throws up after drinking too much with Meredith. He's her person.

George is the only thing she can count on in her life. He's her rock, her confidant, her constant. He's irreplaceable. She can't pretend the sex meant nothing.

But she won't make it if they can't be friends.

* * *

**084: Quote**s

_Continuity: Anytime_

"She's 'sleeping with him' if you know what I mean." George used air quotes to emphasize his point. Izzie arched a brow, biting back her laughter. "What? _What_."

"You," she pointed at him for emphasis, "-are a 'dork' if you know what I mean." She accented the sentence with air quotes. George frowned.

"I am not." He paused. "Why?"

"Air quotes are so nineteen-ninety."

"But you just used them," he pointed out. She groaned.

"George, you obviously don't understand sarcasm." She turned to walk away.

"Izzie, you're obviously spending way too much time with Cristina."

"We're _bonding_ ." She air quoted.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Happy Grey Day everyone! I like 'Question' a lot. Like, insanely so. Because the voice in George's head is telling him to make a move, and Izzie hesitates. Because...she already feels that pull towards him, whether it's friendship or otherwise. 'Quarantine'. Yeah, slightly borrowed storyline from that one Scrubs episode. And 'Quiet'...'nough said.

**DISCLAIMER:** It's not my voice you hear on those podcasts...


	18. R is for Rain

**085: Rain**

_Continuity:_ After _'Losing My Religion'_

George was jolted out of sleep at around six a.m. The dull pitter-patter of rain against the window hadn't woken him up.

But George had a feeling that something wasn't right. He looked to his right. No Izzie. Dragging himself to his feet, he yanked the curtains away from his window and peered outside.

There she was, on the front walk, twirling in the rain like a child. Her eyes were closed, a smile gracing her lips. As George leaned against the windowsill, he couldn't shake the thought she looked pretty dancing in the rain.

And not sad, like usual.

* * *

**086: Ready**

_Continuity:_ After _'Losing My Religion'_

"She's ready," Meredith had told him only moments ago. George stood outside the bathroom, ear pressed against the door. He heard the water stop, and waited a few minutes before pushing the door open.

Izzie stood in front of him wearing Denny's sweater and looking defeated, her skin red from the hot water she'd been using to scrub away her mistakes, her sadness, her loneliness. "Iz," he whispered. She shook her head.

"I'm not ready to let him go yet."

"It's okay." He offered her a small smile. "Does this mean Shiva's over?"

"Shiva's over..."

"Remind me to tell Cristina."

* * *

**087: Remedy**

_Continuity:_ After _'From a Whisper to a Scream'_

Izzie groaned into her pillow (actually, it was George's) and pulled her blankets (also George's) over her head. She heard someone enter George's room. "Go away."

"I told you to get a flu shot but _no_."

"I was immune to the flu. Until this year."

"We work in a hospital. With _sick_ people."

"Why are you here, if you're so afraid of catching it?"

"_I_ got my flu shot." George pushed a bowl of soup towards her. "And my Mom heard you were sick. It's her special remedy."

"You told you mother. Why?"

"...I kind of want my bed back..."

* * *

**088: Ring**

_Continuity:_ After _'A Change is Gonna Come'_

Izzie was standing at the nurses' station, pouring over a chart. Her head was spinning, because she'd just spent twelve hours on her feet, but more importantly because George had showed up last night.

_Last night_. In the back of her mind, Izzie had convinced herself that it had all been a dream, and she'd been on-call the entire time. She was hallucinating about hallucinating,

But when George deliberately reached over her arm to snatch a chart from the rack (with his left hand, when Izzie knew he was right-handed), she noticed his bare finger.

And then he walked away.

* * *

**089: Rock (& Roll)**

_Continuity: Anytime_

"You listen to _country_?"George shrugged, whistling along with the music. Izzie moved into the den, sliding onto the floor next to him. "Look at this. Tim McGraw, Brooks and Dunn, _the Dixie Chicks_?'

"Country is real music. It talks about life."

"It talks about losing your house, your girl, and your job all in the same song. Are you depressed?"

George laughed. "I'm fine."

"I'm going to teach you about real music. Rock and roll." She began sifting through the pile of CD's littering the ground. "I love U2!"

George paused, shooting her a glance. "...What did you say?"

* * *

**Author's Note:** I'm sort of having a spastic twitch from that Season Premiere. I loved it an all, but my favorite part was the last two seconds. I melted when George said it. But now I'm kind of anxious. Anyway, anxiousness (is that even a word?) aside, it spurred me to update. I really like 'Remedy'. Because George mom definitely has one of those. And if you don't understand 'Rock (& Roll)' say it with me...'I love YOU TWO.' What's it sound like? Thank Scrubs for that one, too.

**DISCLAIMER: **Hah. I wouldn't give you a cliffhanger like that.


	19. S is for Snow

**090: Safe**

_Continuity: _After_ 'Losing My Religion'_

Izzie had always liked thunderstorms.

Except this time the power had gone out and now she was sitting on the floor wearing Denny's sweater and shivering by the light of a single candle. Headlights blurred through the window and the sound of keys jangling and the door opening caught her ears. "Izzie?" He called cautiously as he entered the living room.

She held her arms out for him and he scooped her up easily then he should have been able to do, because he was George. But George was there, and holding her, and with him, she just felt _safe_.

* * *

**091: Sanctuary**

After_ 'A Change is Gonna Come'_

A knock at the door at eleven o'clock at night. Izzie shuffled down the stairs in her flannel pajamas and unlocked the door. "You had another fight?" She didn't bother to ask what about. Izzie leaned in the doorframe, staring at him. "You realize you still have a key, right?"

George stood in front of her, sopping wet from head to toe (from the rain, of course), and carrying a sleeping bag under his arm. "But I like it when you invite me in. It seems less like barging in."

"You also realize you don't need that sleeping bag, right?"

* * *

**092: Shampoo**

_Continuity: Anytime_

George poked his head around the shower curtain to stare at her blankly. "This isn't your shampoo. It's purple, and has a kangaroo on it." George held up the (Izzie's) shampoo bottle.

She was brushing her teeth. "It's Aussie."

He blinked down at the shampoo bottle. "It says 'for brunettes'. Please tell me you're not dying your hair. I like your old shampoo." And he likes he blonde (and stacked).

She spit the toothpaste into the sink. "I'm not dying my hair. It's Meredith's." Izzie rolled her eyes. "I seriously need to take you to Wal-Mart and buy your own shampoo..."

* * *

**093: Simple**

_Continuity: _Between _'A Change is Gonna Come' and 'Love/Addiction'_

"I love you, too."

Izzie stared at George. George stared back, through the screen door separating them. There was a long pause in which she seemed tongue-tied (although that might have been the peanut butter). "So...Are you gonna let me in?"

She stepped aside and let him open the door. "Why now?" She managed, mouth dry.

George shrugged. "I think it was always there, waiting for the opportune moment. I think I knew I loved you, but I didn't know it was more than just..._us_."

George always had a way of makeing a complicated situation sound perfectly simple.

* * *

**094: Snow**

_Continuity: Winter, Season Two_

It was cold that morning. Headlights burst through the window, but he ignored them. It was warm inside. He wanted to ignore the knock at the door, but the key ring on the counter told him Izzie was locked out. Groaning, he got to his feet and pulled the door open.

George never appreciated that snow until he saw it cling to her eyelashes and coat her hair. "It's snowing," she said brightly, shaking her head to rid herself of the flakes.

The cold snow landed on his head, and George remembered why he hated snow in the first place.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the lack of updates. Classes are starting to take over my life. It's the middle of the semester. You all know what that means! Papers are due and mid-terms are starting. Great. Updates might come slow for a while. Just a warning.

Back to your regularly schedules Author's Note. I've realized I have an unhealthy habit of writing post-LMR Izzie angst. I'm sorry. I can't help it. I kind of like 'Shampoo'. Because George totally uses Izzie's shampoo. Meredith's house is George's Santuary? Actually, I think Izzie is. Sure, we'll go with that. 'Simple'. _We're On Top of the World ( To The Simple Two)_ was playing when I wrote it. I dunno. I like 'Snow'. Suggested by addexlove.

**DISCLAIMER:** I'll sell one of you new students _Gray's Anatomy_ for twenty bucks. Seriously. I somehow wound up with an extra copy, and need some gas money.


	20. T is for Time

**095: Temptation**

_Continuity: _After_ 'Love/Addiction'_

As she watches him walk through the doors of the hospital hand-in-hand with his wife, Izzie freezes at the nurses' station and stares, because she remembers last night, how all she wants to do is kiss him, all she wants him to do is hold her.

But she doesn't, and he doesn't, because he wants to tell Callie. Just not yet. The temptation is always there, and the little devil-Izzie on her shoulder is urging her to just do it already.

But she doesn't, because George wants to tell Callie. And he conscience tells her Izzie wants what George wants.

* * *

**096: Tension**

Continuity: After 'My Favorite Mistake'

You know the saying 'the tension was so thick it could be cut with a knife'? Did you ever think that saying could be true?

There was so much tension in that OR right now that Izzie was surprised no one started choking from the obscene amount of thickness in the air. Her gaze lingered from the patient on the table to George every few seconds, but he was determinedly keeping his eyes on anything but her.

And when Bailey asked him to make the cut, Izzie swore the scalpel looked more like a knife. The tension was very thick.

* * *

**097: Time**

_Continuity:_ After _'Didn't We Almost Have it All?'_

Time flies. Time waits for no man. Time heals all wounds.

It was hard to believe that today was their last day as interns. It was hard to believe that barely three months ago her fiancé had died. It was hard to believe that George wasn't here, after what she'd just told him.

It was harder to get up from that pew three hours after the not-wedding and leave that church, because the minister was locking up for the night, because she really did want George to show up.

But time waits for no man. And neither does Izzie Stevens.

* * *

**098: Trust**

_Continuity:_ After _'Time After Time'_

With George and Izzie, there was an unhealthy amount of trust. It was like they trusted each other more than they trusted themselves. It all started the first night after they'd moved into Meredith's house. Izzie trusted George enough to let him lick the spoon while she baked (because Izzie bakes when she's nervous) and George trusted Izzie enough to let her sleep in his bed (even though he knows he's lying when he said his mind hadn't wandered there).

He trusts Izzie enough to know she won't tell their secret.

She trusts George enough to let him know hers.

* * *

**099: Tampons**

_Continuity:_ After _'No Man's Land'_

"George," Izzie stated from the kitchen, holding up a large, economy-sized box. "What is this?"

"You told me to buy you tampons."

"Yes," she stated. "For Meredith and me. You do realize there are only two women in this house, right?"

"Yes. But I didn't know what brand you people used." He smirked at her from over his cup of coffee. "Besides, you can never ask me to buy you tampons again."

"Yeah, because we've just won a life's supply...God, we could stock the entire hospital with all these..."

"Not until you both start menopause..."

"You're such a man."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Haha. You can totally buy economy-sized boxes of tampons at Sam's Club. Not really. Izzie's secret in 'Trust' is Hannah; not enough wordspace to fit it in there. But you should've been able to figure it out. I like 'Time'. I like it because Izzie's totally lying to herself about not waiting. Because you know she will. 'Temptation' and 'Tension' were written like...three days ago, on a whim. They sort of fit.

**DISCLAIMER:** Grey's Anatomy is only Derek's during sex. And as for Little Grey (Lexie), I don't know who owns her anatomy. But it's definitely not me.


	21. U is for Unanimous

**100: Umbrella**

_Continuity: _Directly After_ 'Let the Truth Sting'_

He doesn't knock, because he doesn't know what to do. She wasn't mad, really, but he still felt awkward staying in the hotel room with her. He doesn't have a key anymore, so he sits on the steps, head in his hands, and lets the rain fall around him. It's storming, (because it's Seattle), and the porch is no protection for him. For a moment, Izzie thinks he wants to be alone.

But she knows he doesn't, because he's George. She doesn't urge him to come inside. She simply sits down next to him, holding an umbrella over their heads.

* * *

**101: Unanimous**

_Continuity: _Before _the Intern mixer_

George felt very much like he was in the middle of a high school clique. In the middle of a circle of surgical interns loitering outside the hospital (because being fashionably late was so important), he let his mind (and gaze) wander.

There was a steady stream of interns filtering into the building, though George's eyes lingered on the tall blonde who'd stopped to hold the door open for passing visitors. "She's hot," the one next to him, Alex Karev, stated. "What do you guys think?"

There was a general murmur of agreement. "O'Malley?"

Needless to say it was unanimous.

* * *

**102: Understanding**

_Continuity:_ During _'My Favorite Mistake'_

George and Izzie understand each other. They understand each other like no one else can. George understood how Izzie felt lying on the bathroom floor would ease her pain, and Izzie understands that George has a fear of yappy little dogs.

So when George says, "This is our secret, okay?" Izzie nods, and agrees. Because he was her best friend, and because she loved him, she'd do it. It was never supposed to happen. It was a mistake. Izzie knew George believed in 'til death to us part.

So when George spoke, "She's my wife," Izzie simply responded, "I understand."

* * *

**103: Undertones**

_Continuity: _During_ 'No Man's Land'_

George kept Meredith's pace easily. "There needs to be some rules!"

"So, what we can walk around in our underwear on alternate Tuesdays? Or you could see bras, but not panties? Or are you talking Amish rules? Because if you think you're gonna get Izzie to cover herself..." For a brief moment, George stopped walking, nearly running into a door. Shaking his head furiously (and ridding himself of the annoying-yet-somewhat-sexy image of Izzie in Hello Kitty underwear burned into his brain), George fell back into step with Meredith.

"The amount of flesh exposed is not the point..." (Yes it was).

* * *

**104: Underwear**

_Continuity: Anytime_

George was used to it by now. Izzie slipped into his room while he was brushing his teeth. He was only slightly surprised when she appeared at his side and snatched the toothpaste (squeezing it from the middle, which George absolutely hated).

When he turned around, he saw that Izzie was wearing one of his old T-shirts, and a pair of his boxers (the good, silky ones, with the money bags on them). "Are those mine?" He sputtered.

Izzie smiled sheepishly. "I forgot to do the laundry."

When he imagined Izzie Stevens in his underwear, this wasn't what he'd pictured.

* * *

**Author's Note:** So many options for the 'Undertones' prompt. All I can say is there have been various O'Stevens undertones throughout the show's run, and it's just finally becoming pronounced. I love it. And there's Meredith! Because, as George has discovered, you can love two people at one time. I love 'Unanimous' because it's the first prompt not directly involving Izzie and George (or Izzie contemplating George, visa-versa). It's just George, with the guys, contemplating a hot blonde (who happens to be a certain Doctor Stevens...) and I got to use Alex. 'Umbrella'. Rihanna. Blame her. And I absolutely adore 'Underwear'. Because Izzie would do that. And it's cute.

**DISCLAIMER:** If I owned it, it wouldn't be on at the same time as Scrubs (premiering next week). Yay for DVR.


End file.
